Microsoft has quietly added a local PC‑to‑PC transfer mode to its Windows Backup app, giving Windows 10 and Windows 11 users a built‑in way to shuffle personal files and many settings from an old computer to a new Windows 11 machine directly over a home network. The feature sidesteps the need to upload gigabytes of data to OneDrive or buy third‑party migration tools, but it isn’t a full clone—desktop applications, encrypted volumes, and saved credentials don’t travel. Understanding what moves, what doesn’t, and how to prepare will save hours of frustration.

A long-awaited remedy for consumer migrations

For years, transferring a digital life from one PC to another meant either a cloud‑heavy OneDrive sync, a clunky manual copy to an external drive, or a commercial product like PCmover. Windows Easy Transfer, last seen in Windows 8.1, never received a proper successor—until now. The updated Windows Backup app, which originally focused on cloud restore during a new PC’s out‑of‑box experience (OOBE), has been expanded with a local transfer path. Two PCs on the same subnet can pair using a one‑time code and stream selected user folders across the LAN.

Microsoft calls it “Transfer to a new PC,” and the option appears in the Windows Backup app on the source machine and during Windows 11 setup on the destination. The company’s phased rollout means the feature may be absent on some builds or hardware; the new PC must run Windows 11 version 2024 or later (likely the 24H2 update) to display the receiving interface. Older Windows 11 installs will simply not see the pairing prompt.

Prerequisites and account dependencies

Before starting, confirm both computers are on the same local network—same router, same subnet. Wired Gigabit Ethernet is strongly preferred for large transfers, though Wi‑Fi 5 or 6 will work at reduced speeds. The source PC can run Windows 10 or Windows 11 with the latest Windows Backup app. The target must be a Windows 11 2024 Update (24H2) machine.

Both PCs must be signed in with the identical Microsoft account during the pairing and restore. If that account already holds an existing Windows cloud backup, the OOBE restore flow may try to steer you toward the cloud option instead of local transfer; you can usually override this, but plan accordingly. For users who rely on OneDrive’s free 5 GB tier, the local path avoids potential space shortfalls and the bandwidth of uploading a terabyte of photos.

Optional but highly recommended: plug both PCs into power, pause VPNs and aggressive firewalls that can block local discovery, and decrypt any BitLocker‑protected volumes you intend to include. The transfer explicitly skips encrypted drives.

What Windows Backup will move—and what it will skip

The migration is not a disk clone. Microsoft designed it to carry the stuff that makes a new PC feel like the old one while deliberately leaving behind security‑sensitive items and installed software.

Files and folders that travel:
- All personal user folders—Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Videos, Music, and similarly mapped locations. Subfolders and files within those directories are included, provided they reside on unencrypted volumes.
- A broad set of Windows personalization settings: desktop wallpaper, themes, some taskbar preferences, and other cosmetic tweaks.
- Sign‑in picture and colour accent are reported in early testing to cross over as well.

What stays put:
- Classic Win32 desktop applications installed under Program Files and ProgramData. These must be reinstalled manually. Microsoft Store apps are not bundled in the transfer, though they often reappear after sign‑in because your Microsoft account remembers previously downloaded Store apps and can offer to reinstall them.
- System and boot partitions—you cannot restore the OS itself via this method.
- Saved passwords, browser credentials, and application‑specific sign‑in data. For security, credentials are not extracted. Use each app’s built‑in sync (browser, password manager) to restore them.
- OneDrive‑synced content. Files marked as online‑only or kept exclusively in OneDrive won’t be copied over the LAN; they will resync once you sign into OneDrive on the new PC. If your OneDrive quota is nearly full, the local transfer can free you from an upload, but you still need to plan your cloud storage.
- BitLocker‑encrypted volumes. Any drive with encryption enabled is silently omitted. Decrypt first if you want those files moved, and re‑encrypt afterwards.

This design means the local transfer is ideal for people whose digital life centres on documents and media, not a complex suite of installed enterprise software. For a 1:1 replica, disk cloning or a commercial tool remains necessary.

Step‑by‑step migration walkthrough

A structured approach prevents surprises. Follow this sequence:

  1. Update both PCs fully. On each machine, go to Settings > Windows Update and install all pending patches. The transfer capability can be missing on older builds.
  2. On the old PC: open Windows Backup (or Settings > System > Backup > Windows Backup). Choose “Transfer to a new PC.” Note the displayed PC name; you’ll need it momentarily. Keep this window open.
  3. On the new PC: during OOBE, sign in with your Microsoft account and look for the restore‑from‑another‑PC prompt. If you have already completed setup, navigate to Settings > System > Backup > Windows Backup to trigger the restore.
  4. Pairing: the new PC generates a one‑time code. Return to the old PC, enter that code. Alternatively, some flows present a field to type the old PC’s name on the new machine. This authenticates the session over the local network.
  5. Select what to transfer: the new PC lists available folders and settings, usually grouped by category. Expand each to see the size. Tick or untick items as desired; verify the target disk has enough free space—the wizard warns if it doesn’t.
  6. Start the transfer and wait. A progress bar and estimated time appear. Windows tries to resume automatically if the connection drops.
  7. Post‑transfer verification: once finished, open a few documents and photos to confirm integrity. Sign into OneDrive on the new PC to re‑sync cloud files, and proceed to reinstall desktop applications.

Keep the old PC intact (and offline) until you have thoroughly checked the new one. Do not wipe or sell the source machine immediately.

Performance: wired vs. wireless reality

Transfer speeds depend almost entirely on network bandwidth and the size of your user folders:

  • Wired Gigabit Ethernet: real‑world throughput of roughly 100–110 MB/s. A 100 GB dataset may copy in 15–20 minutes under ideal conditions. This is the fastest consumer scenario.
  • Wi‑Fi (Wi‑Fi 5/6): speeds vary wildly. Expect 30–60 MB/s on a strong 5 GHz signal, but interference, distance, and concurrent streaming can slash that significantly. For libraries larger than a couple of hundred gigabytes, wireless transfers stretch into hours and are more susceptible to glitches.
  • Direct external drive: for very large datasets (several hundred gigabytes or terabytes), copying to a USB 3.x SSD/NVMe enclosure is often faster and utterly reliable. Format the drive as exFAT or NTFS to avoid the 4 GB file‑size limit of FAT32.

Network tips: connect both PCs to the same router or switch with known‑good Cat5e/6 cables. Temporarily disable VPNs that route traffic away from the LAN, and check that Windows Firewall is not blocking the backup app. A direct crossover connection (two machines plugged into each other’s Ethernet ports) works in theory but is rarely needed with modern routers.

Pre‑migration chores and safety net

No migration should proceed without a verified backup. Before pairing:

  • Copy the most irreplaceable files—tax returns, family photos, work projects—to an external drive or a secondary cloud service. This is your fail‑safe.
  • Decrypt BitLocker volumes. If any internal drive or partition is encrypted, unlock it and turn off encryption temporarily. After the transfer, re‑enable BitLocker on both the old and new machines if desired.
  • Export an app inventory with winget. On the old PC, run winget export -o apps.json in PowerShell. This creates a manifest of available packages. Later, on the new PC, winget import -i apps.json will queue installations for everything winget knows about. It won’t cover niche or licensed tools, but it automates the bulk of free tools and open‑source apps.
  • Record license keys and download URLs for paid software. Many commercial applications require reactivation after reinstallation, and some may even need you to deactivate the old installation first.
  • Declutter: delete temp files, empty the recycle bin, and run Disk Cleanup. Consolidate scattered documents into the standard user folders so they’re easier to select during the transfer.

Reinstalling applications efficiently

Since desktop apps aren’t ported, a post‑migration app reinstall sprint awaits. The winget manifest import can handle dozens of packages at once—browsers, utilities, media players. For everything else, assemble installers ahead of time on a USB stick or network share. If your workflow relies on a specific legacy application, test its installation on the new PC before decommissioning the old one; some software tied to hardware IDs may refuse to activate.

Commercial migration suites like Laplink PCmover attempt to carry installed programs, but results are inconsistent with antivirus, drivers, and DRM‑protected software. They remain a fallback, not a guarantee.

Troubleshooting common snags

Transfer option missing. Confirm both machines have the latest Windows updates. The feature is part of a phased rollout; even if your source PC shows the “Transfer to a new PC” button, a destination PC on an older Windows 11 build (below 24H2) won’t display the receiving wizard. If time is tight, use an external drive as Plan B.

Pairing fails or devices don’t discover each other. Ensure both are on the same private network profile (not public/guest) and that network discovery is enabled. Temporarily disable third‑party firewalls and VPN clients. If still stuck, assign static IPs on the same subnet and try pinging each machine by IP.

Transfer stalls or drops. Switch to wired Ethernet if possible. Check for background activity—Windows Update, cloud sync, or antivirus scanning—that might saturate the link. The app should resume automatically after a brief interruption, but a wired connection is far less likely to drop.

OneDrive quota errors (if using the cloud path). The local transfer sidesteps this entirely, but if you accidentally selected cloud restore and run out of space, either buy additional storage, switch to local transfer, or manually copy large media via external drive.

Security and privacy notes

The one‑time pairing code ensures only someone physically present with access to both screens can initiate the transfer. Still, perform the migration on a private, trusted network. Because encrypted volumes are excluded, the tool inadvertently reminds users to decrypt sensitive drives—a step that temporarily exposes data; only do this in a controlled environment and enable encryption immediately after.

Passwords are not migrated by design. Use your browser’s sync engine or a dedicated password manager to bring credentials across.

Alternatives for when the built‑in tool isn’t enough

If your situation demands more than user‑folder copying, consider:

  • External drive copy: the most reliable fallback. Plug in a high‑speed USB drive, drag folders across, and plug into the new PC. For terabytes of data, a USB‑C NVMe enclosure can reach 1 GB/s.
  • Full disk cloning/imaging: tools like Macrium Reflect or Clonezilla create a sector‑by‑sector copy of the old drive. This preserves everything, including OS, apps, and settings, but restoring onto dissimilar hardware often triggers driver conflicts and Windows activation issues. Best reserved for same‑model replacements.
  • Commercial migration apps: PCmover and similar can transfer programs, though they are paid and not foolproof. Always test with non‑critical software first.

When to use Windows Backup local transfer—and when to look elsewhere

Use it when: you are moving to a new Windows 11 PC primarily for personal files and basic settings, want a guided OOBE‑integrated workflow, or seek to avoid OneDrive upload times and storage caps.

Avoid it as the sole method when: you must preserve a complex application landscape with custom drivers, or you cannot decrypt BitLocker volumes that hold critical data. The feature’s phased rollout also means availability is not universal; if your new machine’s build doesn’t support it, fall back to an external drive.

Power users often combine the local transfer with a robocopy script to an external disk as insurance. For instance:

robocopy "C:\Users\OldUser\Documents" "E:\Backup\Documents" /MIR /ZB /R:3 /W:5 /LOG:C:\Logs\robocopy.log

This gives a bit‑perfect, resumable second copy.

Final checklist for a smooth migration

The path to a successful move is methodical:

  1. Prepare: update both PCs, decrypt BitLocker volumes, export a winget manifest, delete junk, and make a verified external backup.
  2. Transfer: use the Windows Backup local transfer over a private wired network, select folders and settings, and let it run.
  3. Verify and complete: spot‑check files, sign into OneDrive and services, reinstall apps (winget import saves time), and keep the old PC as a fallback for at least a week.

Microsoft’s new local migration tool is a thoughtful, practical addition that eliminates the cloud‑storage bottleneck for the most common consumer transfer scenario. It’s not a clone, and it won’t replicate a heavily customized workstation with proprietary software, but for millions of users upgrading to a fresh Windows 11 machine, it turns a once‑tedious chore into a straightforward, one‑afternoon task.